Police in Chon Buri are investigating the death of a former Thailand national tennis team member, found at his home in Pattaya yesterday afternoon, July 26. His brother says the victim had recently raised concerns about a former student, who police now want to trace and question.
Officers from Nong Prue Police Station were called to a single-storey house in Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, at about 3pm. The property backs onto a large tennis club and sports complex.
A police team, along with forensic officers from Chon Buri and volunteers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Pattaya Foundation, attended the scene.
The deceased was identified as 64 year old Natthawi Sukkhantharun, also known as “Nat-Mai.” He was a former member of Thailand’s national tennis team in the senior and beach tennis categories, an executive at Pattaya Sport Inter Club, and a coach who trained several prominent Thai players. He was also a close friend of former world-ranked player Paradorn Srichaphan.
Officers found him lying face up on a mattress in the bedroom, covered by a blanket, with a wound visible on his left elbow. A kitchen knife was found near the headboard.
Relatives in Bangkok had been unable to reach him and asked a groundskeeper at the property for a welfare checkup. The bedroom door was found locked from the inside, and the groundskeeper used a spare key to enter, discovering the body.
Thanin Sukkhantharun, 81 year old, the victim’s older brother, travelled from Bangkok to the scene. He said his brother had called him two days earlier to discuss concerns about a former student, a Lao tennis player who had since left training under him.
According to the brother and initial reports, the student had shown hostile and dismissive behaviour despite what he described as years of support and care from the victim. He said the family does not yet know whether this is linked to the death.
Forensic officers from Chon Buri have sealed off the scene and collected evidence. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, and the cause of death has not yet been confirmed. Police plan to trace the former student for questioning as part of the investigation.
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